Common Interpretation Mistakes
Survey results can create momentum, but they can also create false certainty. Use this page as a quality check before finalising priorities or presenting findings.
| Mistake | Why it is a problem | Sharper question |
|---|---|---|
| Treating the report as the answer | The report gives evidence, not the full explanation. | What context do we need before deciding what this result means? |
| Chasing every low score | It fragments effort and overwhelms leaders. | Which 3 to 5 issues matter most and are actionable? |
| Ignoring strengths | Strengths can be used to build confidence and transfer practice. | What should we protect, replicate or learn from? |
| Over-weighting comments | Comments are useful but may not be representative. | Do comments explain the pattern in the quantitative results? |
| Using benchmarks as an excuse | A sector-wide issue can still be a local employee experience issue. | Would employees reasonably expect Council to act on this? |
| Ranking managers simplistically | Survey results reflect many conditions beyond one manager. | What are the system, leader and local context factors? |
| Solving before diagnosing | Fast fixes can miss root causes. | What evidence would change our interpretation? |
Practical rule
A good survey interpretation should be able to say: what we know, what we think it means, what we need to test, and what we will do next.